They were now at the gate. Cuitcatl opened it, and locked it again after him. A figure was standing outside.
"This is my follower. You may rely upon him to serve you, to the last.
"Bathalda, this is my white friend. You will serve him as you would me."
The man took Roger's hand, and carried it to his forehead.
"My life is yours, my lord," he said.
"Is everything ready, Bathalda?" asked Cuitcatl.
"Yes, my lord. I have the canoe hidden among the rocks, with the arms and some food. It is but a few hundred yards away."
"Let us be off then, at once," Cuitcatl said.
The man led the way down to the lake, and then along the shore for some little distance.
"There is the canoe," he said.